Floor care machine with counter acting force

ABSTRACT

A floor care machine that includes a deck having a motor, a rotatable floor care element for engaging a floor surface, and a handle apparatus pivotally mounted to the deck is provided. Additionally, there are first and second sets of wheels toward the rear of the deck and on opposite sides of handle apparatus pivot attachment points. In addition to the attachment points, the handle apparatus and the deck are coupled together by a rigid handle link which is pivotally attached to the deck at one end and pivotally attached to the handle apparatus at the other end. The handle link communicates deck pivot forces between the deck and the handle apparatus, and in particular, communicates such forces resulting from a compressing or decompressing of a compressible component provided along the length of the handle apparatus. A tension applied to the compressible component is communicated to the deck as a pivot force that counters deck gravitational and floor suction effects induced by the rotation of the floor care element.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a floor care machine,and in particular to a floor care machine which automatically maintainsa substantially even pressure on the floor by a floor care elementattached to the machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] For operating a floor care machine such as for burnishing,waxing, cleaning or sanding a floor, it is desirable to control theamount of weight the machine places on the contacting pad or other floorcare element of the machine in caring for the floor. Such weight controlis important in controlling the pressure applied to the floor surfaceand in controlling the amperage draw of the motor of the floor caremachine. Previously, such weight control has been generally accomplishedby a floor care machine operator using a fixed handle on the floor caremachine to manually determine the amount of pressure being applied tovarious floor areas. In particular, the operator controlled the floorcare element pressure by lifting or pushing on the handle. The problemwith this type of operator involvement is the floor care elementpressure varies, e.g., because different operators place differentpressures on the floor care element and because of operator fatigue aswell as operator height. Floor care machines have been disclosed, suchas in U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,459 filed Jan. 27, 1986, that include aplurality of torsion springs as an “urging member” for reducing relianceon the operator to provide appropriate floor care element pressure onthe floor. However, due to the requirement that the torsion springs hadto be preloaded prior to shipment, the floor polishing machine of U.S.Pat. No. 4,658,459 generally could not be sold partially assembled dueto the risk of components flying apart during assembly by unskilledpersons and/or by persons without the proper assembly tools and jigs.Moreover, the free ends of the torsion spring exert a high compressionforce on the floor care machine platform. Accordingly, some materialssuch as rotationally molded plastic may not hold up under such a highcompression force without reinforcement. To alleviate this drawback,U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,120 filed Sep. 30, 1996 uses a gas spring instead oftorsion springs. The gas spring is pivotally connected at one end to thehandle of the machine and is pivotally connected to the body of themachine at its opposite end. The pivot point of the gas spring on thebody is different than the pivot point of the machine handle.

[0003] Notwithstanding the different designs that have been advanced forachieving uniform pressure on the floor by a floor care element, it isdesirable to provide a floor care machine that is able to provide suchuniform pressure, while being cost effective, stylish in appearance andwhich incorporates all other necessary machine functions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is a floor care machine that provides acoupling or a handle link between the floor care machine body and ahandle apparatus which is pivotally mounted to the body. The handle linkis part of a force generating system having a resilient compressiblecomponent (e.g., a compression spring) along the direction of the lengthof the handle apparatus, wherein the compressible component and thehandle link cooperate for urging the body (or deck) of the floor caremachine to pivot about the axis of a first set of wheels and therebybias the front of the deck upwardly. The forces for urging the deck topivot are used to counter balance opposing pivotal forces caused by theweight of the deck and the floor suction forces generated by therotation of a floor care element that rotationally contacts the floorfor administering the desired floor care when the machine is operating.

[0005] Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novelmachine for the care of floor surfaces.

[0006] It is further an object of the present invention to provide sucha novel floor care machine which places a substantially even pressure onthe floor surface by the floor care element substantially without regardto the pivotal position of the handle apparatus with respect to the deckof the floor care machine.

[0007] It is further an object of the present invention to provide sucha novel floor care machine which places even polishing force on thefloor surface by the floor care element regardless of the unevenness ofthe floor surface.

[0008] It is further an object of the present invention to provide sucha novel floor care machine which automatically maintains even polishingpressure.

[0009] It is further an object of the present invention to provide sucha novel floor care machine which maintains even floor care elementpressure without being dependent on operator involvement.

[0010] It is further an object of the present invention to provide sucha novel floor care machine having floor care element pressure which isnot variable due to operation by different operators.

[0011] It is further an object of the present invention to provide sucha novel floor care machine having floor care element pressure which issubstantially not variable due to operator fatigue.

[0012] These and further objects and advantages of the present inventionwill become evident in light of the accompanying drawing and detaileddescription provided therewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 shows an exterior perspective view of the floor caremachine of the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the floor care machine; and

[0015]FIG. 3 shows a partially exploded view of the floor care machinethereby illustrating internal components.

[0016] Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the samenumerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when theterms “lower”, “upper”, “above”, and other position related terms areused herein, it should be understood that these terms are to beunderstood in the contexts and orientations illustrated in theaccompanying figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] An embodiment of the floor care machine 50 is shown in FIG. 1.The floor care machine 50 generally includes a body portion or deck 54adapted to be moved along a floor 58 (FIG. 2), and, attached to the deckis a floor care element 62 including, e.g., a polishing pad, a brush, aburnishing pad, a sanding disk, a waxing pad, a floor scouring element,or the like which contacts the floor with a rotational motion when thefloor care machine 50 is operable. Additionally, the deck 54 hasattached thereto a handle apparatus 64 for guiding and controlling thedeck 54. The handle apparatus 64 is pivotally attached to the deck 54 atvarious locations on the deck (as will be described below) so that thehandle apparatus can, e.g., pivot between (i) operating positions(wherein the below described handle 68 is generally within a range of 30to 60 degrees from the horizontal but can be outside that range), and(ii) a transport position (wherein the handle 68 is substantiallyvertical).

[0018] Among the components included in the handle apparatus 64 are:

[0019] (a) an operator grip 66 by which an operator controls the floorcare machine 50,

[0020] (b) the handle 68 having a length the extends downwardly from thegrip 66, wherein the opposite end of the length connects to the assembly70 described immediately below, and

[0021] (c) an assembly or section 70 (FIG. 1, also denoted herein as an“attachment assembly” and “counter force assembly”) for both: (i)pivotally attaching the handle apparatus 64 to the deck 54, and (ii)providing a force generating system 72(or simply force system) forinducing a force which is a counter pivot force to the gravitational andfloor suction forces that are generated generally forward of the wheels108 during operation of the floor care machine 50, wherein these lattertwo forces urge at least the deck 54 and the floor care element 62 topivot about the rotational axis of the wheels 108 in a counterclockwisedirection in the orientation of FIG. 2. Note that the force system 72includes:

[0022] (i) a force generating device 74 (FIG. 1) that is generally anextension of the handle 68 length further toward the deck 54. The forcegenerating device 74 includes portions, e.g., a compressible resilientcomponent therein for generating forces in the direction of the handlelength (e.g., along the axis 118 of FIG. 2 as described hereinbelow)that are used to counter balance the weight of the deck 54 and floorsuction forces induced by the rotation of the floor care element 62; and

[0023] (ii) a substantially rigid handle link 76 for transferring forcesinduced by the force generating device 74 to the deck 54 as will bedescribed further hereinbelow.

[0024] The deck 54 also includes a housing 78 which substantiallycontains the floor care element 62. The housing 78 includes a slopingplatform 82 having a downwardly extending skirt 84 about its perimeter,wherein the skirt includes a first skirt portion 86 surrounding thefloor care element 62 and a second skirt portion 88 extendingrearwardly, e.g., for attaching the handle apparatus 64 thereto (FIG.3), wherein this second skirt portion includes paired planar sides (88 a_(L), 88 a _(R)), (88 b _(L), 88 b _(R)) and a rear skirting 88 c (e.g.,FIG. 3). A motor 90 is mounted at the center of and generally above theplatform 82. Floor care element 62 is operatively connected to motor 90for rotation thereby and within housing 78.

[0025] The deck 54 further includes a substantially inverted cup-shapedhousing or motor shroud 94 received on housing 78 for encasing motor 90.In one embodiment of the present invention, the housing 94 generallyincludes a cylindrical shaped portion 98 and a generally box shapedportion 102. Portion 102 includes a generally closed top 106, agenerally open bottom for receipt and mating on platform 82.

[0026] The floor care machine 50 further includes a first set of wheels108 having a rotation axis located intermediate between the motor 90 anda second set of wheels 110. When the floor care machine 50 is in anoperable position, the first set of wheels 108 is generally at a levelequal to or slightly lower than the level of floor care element 62. Notethat at least the front two-thirds of the floor care element 62 (i.e.,from the 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock position thereof) engages the floorsurface 58 when the floor care element 62 is rotated by motor 90, morepreferably substantially the entire side of floor care element 62 facingthe floor 58 engages or contacts the floor. Moreover, the wheels 108 arerotatably secured to the skirt 84 of the housing 78.

[0027] For attaching the handle apparatus 64 to the deck 54, the counterforce assembly 70 includes mounts 116 that extend from the center axis118 (FIG. 3) of the handle apparatus 64, and span the rear skirting 88c. The mounts 116 are pivotally secured to the deck 54 via an axle 120(FIG. 3) that is provided through the planar skirting sides 88 b _(L)and 88 b _(R) and additionally through an axle opening 122 in each mount116. As mentioned above, the counter force assembly 70 includes forcesystem 72 which, in turn, includes the force generating device 74 thatis generally provided along center axis 118 and below the handle 68(FIG. 1). In particular, the force generating device 74 includesadjacent lower handle sides 130 (FIG. 3) which provide a substantiallycylindrical chamber 136 (FIG. 2) therebetween, wherein this chamberextends: (a) from paired chamber end cap halves 142 (only one of whichcan be seen in FIG. 3) to (b) the brackets 146. Note that thecylindrical chamber 136 has its center axis aligned with the center axis118 of the handle apparatus 64. Additionally note that each of the lowerhandle sides 130 has a guide slot 152 extending longitudinally from justbelow the brackets 146 and toward the end cap halves 142 forapproximately ⅓ of the length of the cylindrical chamber 136 in thedirection of the center axis 118. Also, in the region 158 (FIG. 3)between the upper end of each guide slot 152 and its correspondingbracket 146, each of the lower handle sides 130 provides for thecylindrical chamber 136 to have a larger radius than the lower portion160 of the cylindrical chamber 136 (FIG. 2) below the regions 158. Notethat the lower end of the handle 68 is secured within the enlargedradius portion provided by the two regions 158 when these regions aresecured together by anyone of various securing devices such as boltassembly 164 (FIG. 3). In particular, the bolt assembly 164 secures theadjacent lower handle sides 130 with the handle 68 by remainingpositioned in the bolt holes 168, 172, and 176.

[0028] Provided within the lower portion 160 (and also part of the forcegenerating device 74) are force generating components for inducing thecounter pivot force mentioned above. In particular, the counter pivotforce is provided by the generation of a force linearly along the centeraxis 118 by the compression of a compressible component such ascompression spring 182. However, it is within the scope of the presentinvention that another component such as a wave spring or otherresilient component may be used in place of compression spring 182, andsuch resilient components may have different resiliency characteristicsdepending, e.g., on the desired behavior of the floor care machine 50.Also included in the force generating device 74 and within the lowerportion 160 but above the spring 182 is a compression block 186 forcompressing the spring 182 within the lower portion 160. Thus, thecompression block 186 has a diameter that may be only sufficientlysmaller than the diameter of the lower portion 160 so that thecompression block can freely slide therein. The compression block 186 isslidably secured to the guide slots 152 by bolt assembly 190 (FIG. 3)also included in the force generating device 74, wherein bolt shaft 194and sleeve 198 of this bolt assembly securely span both guide slots 152and the bolt hole 204 of the compression block 186. Also pivotallysecured to the bolt shaft 194 and the sleeve 198 is a first end portion208 (via bolt holes 212) of the handle link 76, wherein the opposite end220 of the handle link pivotally attaches to the deck 54 as will bedescribed hereinbelow. As can be seen in FIG. 1, side flanges 226 andthe cross member 230 of the handle link 76 fit over the lower portion160.

[0029] Regarding the opposite end 220 of the handle link 76, this end ispivotally secured to the deck 54, and when the angular orientationbetween the handle apparatus 64 and the deck 54 changes, each end 208and 220 of the handle link 76 pivots in a manner such that bolt assembly190 changes position in the guide slots 152. Thus, when the anglebetween the handle 68 and any horizontal surface of the deck 54decreases (e.g., decreases toward 90 degrees), then the bolt assembly190 is urged toward the upper end of the guide slots 152 and the spring182 is decompressed. Alternatively, when the angle between the handle 68and such an horizontal surface increases (e.g., toward 180 degrees),then the bolt assembly 190 is urged toward the lower end of the guideslots 152 and accordingly compresses spring 182.

[0030] More specifically, the end 220 is pivotally attached to the deck54 (by pin subassembly 236 having components identified by the samelabel) within a raised enclosure 244 of the deck. Thus, if duringoperation the operator changes the angle of the handle apparatus 64relative to the horizontal, such a change will induce a linear movementof the bolt assembly 190 (and also the spring 182 and compression block186) within the lower portion 160, and there will be a responsivemovement by the handle link 76 which will cause the pressure exerted bythe rotating floor care element 62 to at least temporarily change due toa pivoting force of the deck 54 about the axle 120. Conversely, ifduring operation the deck 54 is moved, e.g., over a portion of the floor58 that abruptly rises or falls, then the deck 54 is likely to pivotabout the axle 120, and there will be a corresponding responsivepivoting of the handle link 76 on the pin subassembly 236 and arepositioning of the handle link end 208 along the axis 118 which will,in turn, induce movement in the bolt assembly 190 (and also the spring182 and compression block 186) within the lower portion 160. Note thatinduced responses in the deck 54 to movement in the handle apparatus 64(or visa versa) are dampened depending on, e.g., the compression andresiliency characteristics of the spring 182. For example, a spring 182requiring very high forces for compressing will cause the handle link 54to move more similarly to having its end 208 remain in a constant pivotposition along the axis 118 and thus any angular change (relative to thehorizontal) between the handle apparatus 64 and the deck 54 will besubstantially fully communicated between these two assemblies. However,if spring 182 requires very small forces for compression, then anangular change (relative to the horizontal) between the handle apparatus64 and the deck 54 will for the most part not be communicated from oneof these two assemblies to the other. Accordingly, by adjustingcompression characteristics of the spring 182 (e.g., by expanding ordecreasing its range of movement within the chamber 136), or replacingthe spring with a different spring, the responsiveness of the floor caremachine 50 to angular changes between the handle apparatus 64 and thedeck 54 can be changed.

[0031] Substantially within the confines of the raised enclosure 244there is also a collection of components that function as a latchmechanism for latching the handle apparatus 64 into a substantiallyvertical position for storing the floor care machine when not in use(e.g., inactivated). The collection of components for the latchmechanism includes a torsion spring 254 (FIG. 3) disposed on the pinsubassembly 236 for biasing the handle link 76 (and accordingly, thehandle 68) to pivot clockwise (in the orientation of FIG. 2) about thispin subassembly toward a position for operating the floor care machine50 rather than storing it. Accordingly, when storing the floor caremachine 50, the handle apparatus 64 is rotated to a substantiallyvertical position by overcoming the bias of the torsion spring 254 andcausing the latching mechanism to secure the handle apparatus 64 in thesubstantially vertical position. Additionally the collection ofcomponents for the latch mechanism includes a latch 258 (FIG. 3)pivotally provided on the pin subassembly 236 and within the raisedenclosure 244 for receiving a latch striker 262 provided on the end ofthe handle apparatus 64 opposite from the grip 66. Note that the latch258 and the latch striker 262 cooperate to secure the handle apparatus64 in a substantially vertical position for storing the floor caremachine 50.

[0032] In operation of at least one embodiment of the floor care machine50, the wheels 110 are positioned at a level slightly above the level ofthe floor care element 62. In one embodiment, the wheels 110 are in therange of ½ to ¾ of an inch above the level of wheels 108. Moreover, theforce system 72 may induce pivoting forces at the axle 120 that: (a) arecounter pivot forces to the gravitational and floor suction forces whichthe deck 54 exerts about the axle 120, and (b) reduce the possibility of(or the degree to which) the floor care element 62 unevenly ordifferently contacts the floor when, e.g., undulations in the floor 58are encountered, and/or different handle apparatus 64 orientations areused by different floor care machine operators. Thus, regardingdifferent operators, for a tall operator having the handle apparatus 64at substantially a constant 50 degrees, and for a short operator havingthe handle apparatus 64 at substantially a constant 35 degrees, bothoperators can cause the floor care element 62 to exert substantially thesame pressure on the floor 58 during operation of the floor care machine50. However, in order for the force system 72 to achieve the advantagesof (a) and (b) immediately above, the spring 182 (or other compressiblecomponent) must be matched to the weight and suction forces generated bythe deck 54. In general, for many springs 182 there is a non-trivialrange of angles relative to the horizontal wherein there is only aslight variation in the linear force generated by the spring 182. Forexample, such a range can correspond to the handle apparatus 64 varyingbetween 35 degrees to 50 degrees from horizontal (i.e., counterclockwise in FIG. 2). However, beyond such a range, the linear forcegenerated by the spring 182 may commence to vary noticeably, and suchvariation can be beneficial in that an operator can then explicitlycause the floor care element 62 to vary its pressure on the floor 58 tocorrespond to different floor conditions such as, e.g., exceptionallysoiled areas of the floor 58.

[0033] After transporting the floor care machine 50 from storage to thefloor 58 location for which care is desired, the latch striker 262 isdisengaged from the latch 258 allowing handle apparatus 64, includinghandle 68 and the force generating portions 74, such as the compressionspring 182, to be pivotal with respect to the deck 54 about pivot pinsubassembly 236 and axle 120. It can then be appreciated that torsionspring 254 biases the handle apparatus 64 from a substantially verticalposition and towards an angled position (e.g., 45 degrees) with respectto horizontal. When the handle apparatus 64 is lowered into itsoperating position as shown in FIG. 2, handle apparatus 64 creates aload on the spring 182. This load or force translates into a clockwisepivot force on the wheels 108 (in the orientation of FIG. 2) so thatthere is a downward force to the rear of platform 82 which, in turn,causes an upward lift to the front of platform 82.

[0034] It should also be appreciated that without activation of motor 90rotating floor care element 62 and with handle apparatus 64 in anoperating position, deck 54 will pivot about wheels 108 such that theforward portion of deck 54 and of floor care element 62 is raised abovethe floor 58 since there is no floor suction force being provided at thefront of the floor care machine 50. Moreover, an operator can then tiltthe floor care machine 50 back so that it can be moved on both sets ofwheels 108 and 110 between, e.g., different floor areas and/or to/fromstorage.

[0035] It can now be appreciated that the wheels 110 of the floor caremachine 50 perform a dual function. First, they limit the amount ofupward movement of the front of floor care element 62 under the bias ofthe force generating portions 74 and thus insure that a partial vacuumis created when floor care element 62 is initially rotated to create thesuction effect for pulling the front of floor care element 62 downward.Secondly, the wheels 110 serve as transport wheels when floor caremachine 50 is being moved between locations.

[0036] Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied inother specific forms without departing from the spirit or generalcharacteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, theembodiments described herein are to be considered in all respectsillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to beindicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A floor care machine, comprising: a deck; a floorcare element operably joined to said deck; a handle having alongitudinal center axis and being operably attached to said deck; and aforce system having force generating portions extending in a directionalong said longitudinal center axis of said handle for use in applying aforce to said deck.
 2. A floor machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:said force system includes a handle link joined to said deck and saidhandle link applies said force to said deck.
 3. A floor machine, asclaimed in claim 2, wherein: said handle link has first and secondportions and with said first portion being joined to said deck and saidsecond portion being joined to at least one of said handle and saidforce generating portions.
 4. A floor machine, as claimed in claim 1,wherein: said force system is part of a counter force assembly thatincludes a mount extending from said force system and being joined tosaid deck.
 5. A floor machine, as claimed in claim 4, wherein: saidcounter force assembly, said force generating portions and said handleare part of a handle apparatus.
 6. A floor machine, as claimed in claim1, wherein: said force generating portions generate a force in asubstantially linear direction.
 7. A floor machine, as claimed in claim1, wherein: said force generating portions include at least one of thefollowing: a resilient component, a compression spring, a wave spring,and a moving part.
 8. A floor machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:said handle has a stored position and at least first and secondoperating positions, wherein when said handle is in said storedposition, said handle is substantially vertical and the floor careelement is inactivated, and when said handle is in each of a selectedone of said first and second operating positions, said handle isdifferent from vertical and said floor care element is activated and inwhich the force produced by said force generating portions is differentbetween said first and second unstored positions.
 9. A floor machine, asclaimed in claim 1, further including: a latch mechanism for holdingsaid handle in a stored position, said latch mechanism including atorsion spring used to maintain said handle in an unstored position andwhich is overcome when said handle is in said stored position.
 10. Afloor machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said handle pivots abouta horizontal axis and said force generating portions also pivot aboutsaid horizontal axis.
 11. A floor machine, as claimed in claim 10,wherein: said force generating portions includes at least one of acompression spring and a wave spring.
 12. A floor machine, as claimed inclaim 1, wherein: said force system includes a handle link joined tosaid deck adjacent to one end of said handle link and joined in a slotin said handle adjacent an opposite end of said handle link and withsaid opposite end of said handle link being used to move said forcegenerating portions.
 13. A floor care machine, comprising: a deck; afloor care element operably joined to said deck; a handle apparatusincluding a handle that is pivotal about a horizontal axis; and a floorsystem having force generating portions for use in applying a force tosaid deck, said force generating portions also pivotal about saidhorizontal axis.
 14. A floor care machine, as claimed in claim 13,wherein: said deck is connected to a first set of wheels and a secondset of wheels and in which said second set of wheels is located closerto said handle apparatus than is said first set of wheels and in whichsaid second set of wheels is joined to said deck along said horizontalaxis.
 15. A floor care machine, as claimed in claim 13, wherein: saidhandle has a longitudinal center axis and said force generating portionsinclude a spring that can be compressed and in which said spring ispositioned along said longitudinal center axis.
 16. A floor caremachine, as claimed in claim 13, wherein: said handle has a slot andsaid floor system includes a handle link with first and second ends,said handle link being joined to said deck adjacent said first end andsaid handle link being joined to said handle slot adjacent to saidsecond end.
 17. A floor care machine, as claimed in claim 16, wherein:said handle link extends offset from said longitudinal center axis. 18.A method for controlling position of a floor element, comprising:providing a floor care machine including a deck, a floor care element, ahandle apparatus having a slot and force generating portions joined tosaid handle apparatus; generating at least a first force using saidforce generating portions; and applying at least portions of said firstforce to said deck using a handle link that is offset from said forcegenerating portions in order to counter a suction force when said floorcare element is activated, wherein said handle link is joined to saidforce generating portions using said slot.
 19. A method, as claimed inclaim 18, wherein: said force generating portions include a spring thatcan be compressed and said generating step includes compressing saidspring when said handle apparatus is moved to at least a first operatingposition.
 20. A method, as claimed in claim 18, wherein: said forcegenerating portions include one of a compression spring and a wavespring and said generating step includes compressing said one of saidcompression spring and said wave spring by movement of said handleapparatus and said handle link.
 21. A method, as claimed in claim 18,wherein: said handle apparatus has a longitudinal center axis andincludes a handle and in which force generating portions are disposedalong said longitudinal center axis and said generating step includesgenerating said first force substantially along said longitudinal centeraxis.
 22. A method, as claimed in claim 18, wherein: said handleapparatus has a longitudinal center axis and includes a handle and saidgenerating step includes generating said first force substantially alongsaid longitudinal center axis.
 23. A method, as claimed in claim 18,further including: pivoting said handle apparatus and said forcegenerating portions about the same horizontal axis.